Judge orders Site C protest camp removed

BC Hydro has been granted a court injunction to remove a protest camp set up to block land clearing for the Site C dam project near Fort St. John.

It’s the latest in a series of losses in court for opponents of the dam, a group of landowners and representatives of local First Nations in the Peace River region.

Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett said the project has gone through an “exhaustive” environmental and social impact process, and has received federal and provincial permits.

The joint federal-provincial panel that reviewed Site C found that consultations with First Nations in Alberta and B.C. were “complete and comprehensive,” Bennett said.

“We want to build this project on time, on budget, we can’t afford unnecessary delays, and this ruling helps us keep the project moving forward,” Bennett said.

“So far we’ve had no delays caused by court actions or anything else for that matter. We’ve got more than $3 billion in contracts committed today, and we’re at roughly one third in terms of the total amount committed.”

Protesters led by Ken and Arlene Boone, whose farm will be flooded by the third dam on the Peace River, moved two small buildings into the site of Rocky Mountain Fort, one of the earliest fur trading forts in B.C. and have occupied the site since December.